Wine
Country WinnerChallenge
and Value: Foxtails New North Course
is a rare Bay Area breedFairways
& Greens Magazine
April 2003, Volume 6, Number 3

Out
from the ShadowsA
complete overhaul makes FOXTAIL GOLF CLUBS NORTH COURSE the most handsome public golfing venue in Sonoma CountyBy
Vic Williams

Its
amazing what a little $3 million investment will do for a golf course
when its secured by a progressive management company, doled
out by a committed public entity and put into action by the steady,
practiced hands of a top-notch architect and course superintendent.

Amazing indeed and very good news for thousands of public
golfers in Sonoma County who have longed for  and deserved
 an affordable track thats engaging enough to bring
them back for more.

Foxtail Golf Clubs new North Course in Rohnert Park, a John
Daly drive east of Highway 101 and 45 minutes north of the Golden
Gate, is just such a track. People who remember the old Mountain
Shadows North Course (Redwoods) as a fairly flat, featureless stroll
through a housing development are in for a delicious shock when
it reopens in early May. Golfers will recognize the setting and
routing, but beyond that, its a whole new world out there
among the redwoods and wetlands.

After negotiating a long-term contract with the city of Rohnert
Park, Petaluma-based management firm CourseCo convinced officials
that to stay competitive in the tough North Bay market, a big change
 and sizable chunk of change  was the perfect prescription
for curing Mountain Shadows cosmetic woes and long-in-tooth
look. They hired architect Gary Linn, former point man for Robert
Trent Jones Jr. (see sidebar), to oversee the two-tiered project:
A few strategic improvements on the 34-year old South Course, which
were completed last year, followed by a down-to-the-bones reconstruction
of the North Course, which originally opened in nine-hole stages
from 1978 to 1980.

Were excited, because from a public golf [standpoint], we
think the North Course will be one of the finest courses in the
area, says John Thielade, Foxtails director of golf-general
manager.
In the past, golf course improvements could not get past the planning
because of financial obstacles.
CourseCo came in and presented to the city of Rohnert Park
an improvement plan that addressed the needs of both the South and
North courses, along with a fee structure that was necessary to
meet the financial obligations, Thielade adds. And they
agreed to it.
While the North Courses greens fees will increase slightly
to help offset the cost, theyre still reasonable  unbelievable,
actually, for a track of this quality.

Our rates will be $32 weekdays, $36 Friday, $48 on
the weekends, Thielade says. Our philosophy is to provide
quality golf coupled with outstanding customer service for a fair
price. In return, this allows Foxtail to build strong, lasting relationships
through enhancing the golf experience.

Foxtail Golf Club joins an ever-growing family of CourseCo-operated
properties  at last count, 13 Northern California golf courses
including Valley Oaks in Visalia, Los Lagos in San Jose and the
new Metropolitan Golf Links  formerly the Lew Galbraith Golf
Course, which reopens April 16th in the East Bay lowlands halfway
between Alameda and Monarch Bay.

Metropolitan promises to give Bay Area golfers its own brand
of links charm, but Foxtails North Course will
be a CourseCo standard-bearer for years to come  with the
potential to give Rohnert Park a quick and lasting return on its
investment. Its that good.

Gary Linn did a wonderful job, far beyond my expectations,
Thielade says. And Dick Rudolph, our golf course superintendent
was very much involved with both the South and North course projects.

Im lucky to have found an owner and management company
who found the money to rebuild it, Rudolph adds. My
predecessors struggled to drain the course and didnt have
the financing to repair the irrigation system.
As a superintendent, to have the ability to rebuild and develop
a product that will be very competitive in the market as an upper-end
public facility its very rewarding to see the change.

Likewise for past players and new golfers fortunate enough to secure
a tee time on the North Course. Thanks to Linns expert
shapers and Rudolphs crack maintenance crew  led by
his top assistant, Deepak Lal, a 22-year on-site vet who knows
everything about the property and was critical in doing the project
right  Golfers will be rewarded with clearer drive strategies
off every tee, beautifully contoured cuts from rough to fairway,
seven completely new greens and artfully blended bunkering. Additionally,
theyll share the North Courses acreage with a steady
parade of critters, from deer to wood ducks. Part of Foxtails
master plan is to follow strict environmental guidelines and eventually
earn Signature status from the National Audubon Society.

Were converting 22 acres of former rough to meadow areas
 tall grass areas out of play, Rudolph says. That
will give the course a totally different appearance from before
and reduce our irrigation, fertilization and mowing. It will also
give us more habitat for wildlife.

These meadows transition into water hazards on at least a third
of the North Courses holes and are in strong evidence on the
back nine. Nos. 10 and 18 share a lake that has been reduced in
size from the old design, making the finishing hole much more user-friendly
for higher handicappers.

On a handsome horseshoe of holes that comprise the strategic heart
of the course  Nos. 12 through 15  water is very prominent.
No. 15 is the toughest par 3 on either course, with water and wetlands
caressing the right edge of the green and ample but not generous
bailout to the left. When the southwest breeze blows in from the
ocean a couple of mountain ranges away, it will determine whether
the homestretch (including the tough par-4 No. 17) is a victory
walk or a stop-the-bleeding proposition.

All in all, Linn says the North Course is Subtler and more
complex, but not necessarily more difficult. There will be more
tees to suit all levels of skill, and comprehensive drainage and
irrigation changes will assure quality conditions.

Other cosmetic and structural improvements seal the deal for Rudolph.
Cart paths went to eight-foot widths, he says. Weve
got three bridges crossing Coleman Creek; before we had dip sections
in the cart path and had to close the course when it rained. Now
we can keep Foxtail open in inclement weather.

Just another reason why investing a cool $3 million in the North
Course was a hot idea. And off-course improvements are taking shape,
too. A new bar-snack area will give golfers their own pre- or post-round
space.

Sounds like CourseCo and the city of Rohnert Park have their hearts
 and wallets  in the right place. And Foxtail Golf Club
is the right place for value-minded Bay Area golfers, as well.